Hassan Rouhani Criticizes the Judiciary

The commemoration of Judiciary Week in Tehran provided an opportunity for the President of Iran to express sharp criticisms of the performance of this branch. During this event, attended by the leaders of the three branches of the Islamic Republic, Hassan Rouhani, as the head of the executive branch, referred to specific events and political developments in recent months related to the actions of the judiciary and spoke about the necessity of public trust in this branch. Without naming Saudi Arabia, Rouhani mentioned that people want to know how the judiciary deals with those who, according to him, acted independently and attacked an embassy in violation of the law and national security. He stated that the perpetrators and instigators of this attack are known, and the public is waiting to see how the enforcement of the judgment against these individuals, whom Rouhani referred to as acting independently, will be communicated to them. The Iranian president's reference is to the attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran last December, which led to the severance of diplomatic relations between Tehran and Riyadh. A week ago, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesman for the Iranian judiciary, announced the trial of 48 individuals related to the attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran but did not provide further details. The issue of attacks on foreign embassies was not the only sharp point in the Iranian president's remarks. He also spoke about those who, according to him, plundered public funds and oil money, and now the people want to know how this action was organized and who authorized it. Rouhani's strong criticisms of the judiciary come at a time when his government is under pressure from critics regarding the implementation of the JCPOA and the issue of high salaries for some managers. Babak Ghafouriazad has examined Rouhani's statements in a report.